On July 8, 2021, members of the Georgia Municipal Association held a virtual press call to discuss the federal bipartisan infrastructure deal that was announced on June 24 and urge members of the Georgia Congressional delegation to support the bill.
Press Release: Mayors Urge Immediate Action on Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan
On July 8, GMA hosted five mayors from across Georgia, who expressed their support for a federal, bipartisan infrastructure package. The group of mayors urged Congress to continue negotiations and consideration of the bipartisan infrastructure framework announced by President Biden on June 24 and urged Congress to pass the legislation.
The five mayors represented GMA, a voluntary, non-profit organization that represents all of Georgia’s 537 cities, including over 40% of the state’s total population. The mayors included: Union City Mayor and GMA President Vince Williams, First Vice President of the National League of Cities; Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, U.S. Conference of Mayors Board of Trustees; East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham; Brunswick Mayor Cornell Harvey; and Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson.
“I know a good deal for cities when I see one, and that’s exactly what the Biden Administration has put on the table,” said Union City Mayor Vince Williams.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework would invest $1.2 trillion in roads, bridges, transit, rail networks, highways, green infrastructure, and more. This money would invest in the economic competitiveness of the country and rebuild the economy from COVID-19.
“These investments will allow us to move forward with clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects that—in many of our cities—have languished for decades,” said Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis as he pointed to the increased equity and quality of life that the passage of this bill could provide to Augusta residents and Georgians across the state.
The mayors are supportive of the framework outlined and encouraged Congress to continue to work on legislation that provides funds directly to local governments and includes funds to support a skilled workforce to rebuild our cities and state.
This bill is going to do great things for the entire nation but especially small cities like Brunswick,” said Mayor Cornell Harvey. “Issues that affect large cities affect small cities as well, but they can become a lot more prevalent. We’ve started to recover from the impact of this pandemic, but we need this bipartisan bill to actually start funding those issues we’ve identified that will get us over the hump.”
The mayors said they were encouraged that the group that crafted this bill, was bipartisan as well.
“This is about protecting Americans and putting Americans first. This infrastructure bill gives me chills because of the opportunities for communities like mine. We can’t kick the can down the road. We have to do it now,” said East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham.
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